Brilliant Octave: A New World
by Alex Barkhorn
Summary: When life comes crashing down, there are few things to keep you afloat. For an aspiring musician, it's his friends, his sister, and his music. In a life full of doubt and anger, Lorenzo Myles finds that a miracle can come in any form. That maybe there is hope. And that a new friend can help you truly find the beauty of music, and the gift of life.
1. Bass Cannon

**( Hey hey! Guess who's back!**

**There will be a lot of musical themese, either songs, bands, or albums, and I'll get this out of the way.**

**I do not own rights or anything of the sort, of any of these songs. I am not trying to take any credit for any of the songs, albums, persons, etc. in this fic. I do not own MLP or any of its characters. Great, now let's get on with it! )**

"Tavi! Tavi, get out here!"

"I'm busy, Vinyl."

"Five minutes! C'mon, get your flank in here!"

"Ugh...Five minutes, Vinyl Scratch. Five minutes."

The slate grey Earth pony set down her bow, carefully placing her cello back in the stand. She smiled at the instrument, giving it a couple loving taps, before turning tail and trotting lightly into the hallway. Approaching the door down the hallway, she could hear the soft hum of a low bass tone from the backyard.

"Okay, Vinyl," She begins, opening the door with her forehoof. "What did you...!" She trails off, letting out a surprised gasp and looking straight ahead, her eyes wide in shock.

"Whattaya think? Pretty rad, huh?" Vinyl asks with a wide grin, her horn glowing with a blue aura as her glasses are magically pushed atop her head.

This sub-woofer was enormous. It must have been stacked nine feet high, and she could feel the air around it bend from the dull hum it gave off.

"Vinyl, i-it... It's huge!"

"Well, thank ya kindly." She snickers, walking towards her friend and wrapping a hoof around her neck. "Octavia C. Sharpe, meet the new and improved bass cannon!"

Octavia was still staring in awe at the large speakers, trying desperately to find the words she needed. "Vinyl Scratch, I...How much did this cost?" She asks incredulously.

"Well, I had a few favors, and combine that with a few bits I was savin' up..." She trailed off, confidently trotting behind the machine and making a few adjustments. "Wanna give it a hear?" She asks with a raised brow. Octavia was afraid to reply, looking between Vinyl, and the speakers.

"I...I'm not sure, Vinyl." She replied honestly.

"Oh, I haven't even shown you the best part!" Vinyl gasps. She closes her eyes in concentration, and her horn begins to flow, sending a small, laser-like beam into a panel on the side of the speakers. The center of the speakers begin to emit a light blue aura. "Magical enhancements, compliments of moi." Vinyl says with a smug grin. Octavia quirks a brow at her friend, who has now used magic to put her shades back over her eyes.

"Vinyl, are you sure using magic on this thing is safe? I mean...It's dangerous looking, as it is." She says, finally moving her gaze from the machine to her friend. Vinyl scoffs, turning on her turntables.

"Of course it is. It's just really freakin' loud." Vinyl says, having to raise her voice due to the hum growing louder, as Vinyl raises the volume. She turns to her laptop, looking for her favorite custom mix to play. Octavia, still glued to the spot, begins to feel strangely drawn to the machine.

"Alright, Tavi. You ready?" She asks, getting ready to press Play. Octavia only nods, her gaze never peeling away from the subs. "Alright! Let's spin this!" Vinyl yells, slamming the button and turning on a huge bass drop. The noise was nearly deafening, but it sounded like sweet, sweet bliss to the aspiring DJ. She hooted and yelled in utter joy, feeling the intense bass waves from the cannon, feeling the heat from the beam-like wave that shot out. The first song was rather short, a mere two and a half minutes, and Vinyl paused the playlist when the song finished.

"Ohoho my Celestia, that was amazing!" Vinyl giggled like a giddy schoolgirl, raising her shades atop her head again. She was met with silence, save for a very, very dull ring in her ear, but no response from Octavia. "...Tavi?" Vinyl calls out, stepping from behind her tables. Again, no response, and Octavia was nowhere to be found. "What the...?!" She galloped inside, checking all around the house, inside every room at least twice. "Octavia?!" She yells. She ran back outside, and stood in front of the bass cannon. The grass below her was nearly blown back and burnt, and there were four small areas in the grass that seemed unaffected. "...Oh, no." She whispers. She turned to the bass cannon, that was exhuming light blue magical smoke. She turned tail, dashing straight for the library, praying that Twilight Sparkle was visiting town for any reason whatsoever.

* * *

The sun was nearly set over the skies of Canterlot. High inside Canterlot Castle, one of the princesses sat in her study, looking over a few royal scrolls and different documents. Frantic banging was heard on her door, and before she even had the chance to speak, the doors had burst open, with a lavender Alicorn walking straight in.

"Princess Twilight Sparkle. What's the matter?" Celestia asks, standing up and walking towards her winded friend and fellow ruler.

"Vinyl...Octavia...Ponyville...Missing...Whew!" Twilight panted, unable to even use proper syntax.

"Twilight. Take a moment to breathe and collect your thoughts." Celestia instructed soothingly. Twilight Sparkle took a few seconds to catch her breath, wiping her forehead with a forehoof.

"It's all my fault, Princess." A voice rang out. A white unicorn trotted in, her two-tone blue hair bouncing as she trotted in.

"Vinyl Scratch," Princess Celestia greeted, sounding only a little surprised. "Perhaps you can explain what is going on?" She asked, magically grabbing a glass of water for Twilight.

"I-I had just gotten my new bass cannon. I thought if I had thrown some of my magic in there, it'd just make it cooler. But I don't know, I think I threw in some weird magic I don't know about. First, Octavia was just standing there. After, well..." Vinyl shut her eyes tight, refusing to speak for a moment. When she opened her eyes, they were pained, pleading for help, staring right up at Celestia. "She was just...Gone."

Celestia placed a calming hoof on Vinyl's shoulder, smiling warmly. "Don't worry, Vinyl Scratch. We'll figure this out right away. Twilight Sparkle." She called.

"Yes, Celestia?" She replied, standing straight up.

"Take a small squad of guards to the scene and run an investigation. Report any findings you have to me. In the meantime, have this...Bass Cannon delivered to my sister so she may run some tests on the magic that was used. Perhaps then we can find out exactly what the magic had done." She orders, her voice changing from calm and soothing, to serious and in-charge.

"Right away, Princess." Twilight replies, grabbing two of the pegasus guards at the door. "And Vinyl," She stops herself, waiting for the white unicorn to look over at her. "We'll find out what happened to Tavi. I promise." She says gently, walking out with the guards.

"Thanks, Twi." Vinyl sighs, looking back at the Princess. "Thanks so much, Princess. I can't tell you how worried I am." Vinyl mumbles, tapping her left forehoof on the ground. The guilt was killing her, and she felt absolutely horrible. "Do you...Do you think she might be...d-

"I don't know, Vinyl Scratch." The Princess interrupted, looking back from her desk. "But we'll find out. We'll find out during the investigation, and let you know as soon as possible. For now, you must be exhausted." Vinyl gives a slow nod, yawning quietly. "Then feel free to rest in our guests chambers. One of our guards will escort you there. I'll begin sorting this out. Don't worry, Vinyl. We'll get this sorted out." She says. Vinyl only nods in thanks, smiling weakly, following two pegasus guards to the guests chambers. Celestia sighs to herself, staring at a blank scroll for a moment. For some reason, she got an intense feeling of deja vu. Shaking it off, she begins to write out different instructions and guard posts, readying herself for a long, long night.

**(Heya, folks! I'm proud to release my newest fic! This one is actually a tad more planned out (hopefully) and I'm super stoked to get this finished! I've been a little slow getting this chapter out, but I'm hoping that now that it's officially out, it'll be more motivation for me to get writing! Anyway, thank you all, and I hope you enjoy!)**


	2. My Song

"_There's no curtain call, and there's no point in life at all, if each day ends and this bent heart of mine cannot heal..._"

The beautiful strum of the strings. The chords ringing beautifully in the acoustic guitar. The feel of the cold metal strings under my fingers.

This is what I do. It's what I love. And it's what I live for.

"_I can't see a damn thing, but could it be, that the gray clouds that I loved completely blinded me?_"

God. As much as I loved this song, I couldn't help but wish that I had something original written. Or, at least, something original written that actually sounded good.

There. Another few bucks just got thrown into the black guitar case at my feet. I loved doing this. Coming to the small boardwalk in town, the fresh sea air filling my lungs. The area was crowded, and people were all around, playing some of the games, or walking along the beach.

Here it comes. The chorus, the heart-jerking chords and the lyrics that cried for help. I could see a few onlookers that were already interested. And this would definitely gather a few more people.

"_Deep in my heart, I know for sure...That you are hurt, feel insecure, and surely crying...Because you are only human._"

There we go. I could see a few women bring their hands to their mouths. Some of the men raised their brows, surprised by the pained, melodic singing.

Or...Were they unimpressed? I think I messed up somewhere. I probably did...Dammit!

_Focus, Enzo...Focus..._

"_These tears of mine, are screaming out, "it's not a lie," and as I cry...I want to thank you for showing me what I could be...I won't let go...I thank you so..._"

I bobbed my head, feeling the beat and rhythm as I finished the song, strumming a few final light chords. My eyes were shut, but I heard shuffling in the case in front of me. The final chord. I let it ring, and I can feel the sound reverberating throughout my body. It was a chilling embrace, and I loved it.

Applause was heard next. Nothing huge, but a few people were clapping their hands, there was a whistle or two as well. I smiled gratefully and opened my eyes, bringing a hand up to adjust my glasses.

"I, ah..." I trailed off, rubbing the back of my neck. "Thank you. I-I'm sorry if I messed up a few times, but, uh..."

Dammit. There goes my confidence.

A few of them waved it off, or even disagreed with me, and a few others walked off. I could see them talking, and I began to wonder if it was about me. I sighed, and checked the time on my phone. a quarter to ten. The place was gonna start dying down soon, but I wanted to do one more song. I could spare the time.

I looked back up, and most of the small audience I had was gone by now, so I didn't bother talking. Just moved my hand down the neck, starting a simple bar chord. One of my favorites.

"_Hello...I've waited here for you...Everlong..._"

Five minutes, and a few more bucks later, I was packing up my guitar, when I heard a familiar voice call my name.

"Hey, Enzo!"

"Nani?" I muttered in Japanese, looking up. My lips quirked up in a small smile, and I stood upright, slinging the case over my shoulder, and I waved at the young woman hurrying my way.

"Aw, damn, did I miss it?" She asked, sighing and crossing her arms.

"By mere minutes, Eileen." I replied with a snicker, giving her a quick hug. "Thanks for tryin', though." I add with a smile. She returned it with one of her own, pushing back a few stray strands of her pale blonde hair.

This is Eileen Laatikainen. She's been at my back since grade school. She's Finnish, so is pretty pale; not ghastly so, but she still got a few lame words thrown at her when she was younger. I think that's how we met, I tried to get others off her back. But she's a great girl, and I trust her with my life.

"My apologies, _Lorenzo_," She shot back, using my full name as well. I feigned a wince, and chuckled.

...Yeah, you're probably wondering by now who the mook writing this is. The name's Lorenzo Myles; please, just Enzo, though. I'm a native of this nice little city on the California coast.

You're also probably wonderin' why I'm a lazy street performer. Well, to be honest, I kinda do it for fun; don't get me wrong, the extra money is a plus, especially with the few hours I've been getting at my job. But I just love to perform. I love singing, playing my guitar. I hope that one day, some kinda scout will hear me.

"Right, then. How was work, Eila?" I ask, leading her away from the beach and towards the nearest street.

"Eh, it was alright. Closed a little later than we expected." She replied with a shrug.

"I know how that is." I replied with a sigh of my own. "What were your plans for the rest of the night?" I inquired, looking over at her as we walked further down the boardwalk.

"Oh, nothing. I was gonna call Ame and see if she wanted to hang out." Eila answered, tapping the phone in her hands with her two thumbs. "You?" She asks back, looking over at me.

I opened my mouth to reply, but my phone rang before I managed to even utter a syllable. I held up a finger, indicating that she should wait, and checked my caller ID. I slid my thumb across the screen to answer, and put the phone up to my ear.

"Hey, dad." I answered.

"Hey, Enzo. Are you done, yet?" He asks.

"Mhm. I'm with Eila right now. We're on our way home." I replied, glancing at Eila for a second.

"Alright. How'd it go?"

"Not bad. I haven't counted the money, but I wanna say it's almost fifty bucks. It was pretty packed tonight."

"Nice, that's good. Thank God the economy hasn't suffered too much here, otherwise you'd be bringing in, like, ten bucks." He chuckles, eliciting a small laugh from myself as well.

"Yep. Anyway, I'll be home within the hour." I sighed.

"Alright. Dinner's in the fridge. Is Eila coming over to eat, as well?" He inquired. I glanced over at Eila.

"Wanna have some dinner at my house?" I asked.

"Maybe. Should I see if Ame wants to join us?" She asks, grabbing her phone as well.

"Think she's awake at this time? Or busy, for that matter?" I asked with a raised brow.

"C'mon, Ame, busy on a weekday night? I'm sure she's just browsing the internet or playing a game at this point." She chuckles.

"Point taken," I reply. "Sorry, dad. Yeah, and I think Ame will join us as well."

"Alright. Your mom didn't eat, so there should be plenty left for you three." He informed me.

"Why didn't mom eat?" I decided to ask.

"I don't know. Said she wasn't hungry. You know how her stomach is." He sighs. I sigh as well, nodding my head for whatever reason. "Anyway, we'll probably be in bed when you get home, so I'll see ya when I see ya."

"Alright. Bye, dad." I yawn.

"Bye, son." He says, before hanging up.

I look over at Eila as I pocket my phone, who does the same with hers. "Ame's down. She said she'll wait for us on our way to your house." She informed me. I gave a nod, making it to the sidewalk.

"How's Ashleigh?" Eila asks, looking over at me.

"She's okay," I reply with a shrug. "Same as ever, though. Playing her piano one minute, back to her laptop the next." I chuckle.

"How'd she do in school?" She then asks, her voice sounding a little more worried.

"Well, we just got her report card. Straight A's, but they all said the same thing. She needs to work on her class participation and social skills." I reply with a sad smile.

"I'm sure she'll get better with time." Eila says comfortingly, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah, you're right." I say confidently. We reached the street sidewalk, just as the tourist trolley approached the stop. It was an old-time lookin' piece of work, that the city used for tourism, and locals. It was really nice looking, like something out of 1940's San Francisco. Eila and I boarded the vehicle, and sat in the back, making small talk for the next ten minutes or so.

"Have you decided what classes you want to sign up for next semester?" Eila asked, propping one leg over the other to make herself more comfortable. I snickered and shook my head.

"'course not." I say with another laugh.

"Enzo..." Eila begins with a shake of her head.

"What? We just finished last semester a couple weeks ago. I'm gonna take a few weeks to myself before I even think about school again." I retort. "I don't even wanna look at the community college's website." I say with a shudder, mainly for comedic effect. "Besides. I know for a fact you haven't applied, either." I said with a smug grin.

"_Idiootti..._" She scoffed in Finnish. "At least I have them picked out. I'm waiting a couple weeks, when I get more money, to apply for the next semester." She said defensively, huffing. I only laughed and shrugged. A few more minutes of silence passes, and we had reached our stop. When we were standing back on the concrete sidewalk in my neighborhood, we cut through a few back alleys to get to my street. The streetlights gave a dull lighting to the area, but we were still able to make our way through. When we neared Ame's house, the nearly full moon finally poked out from the clouds, giving us just enough light to see the street clearly, and also Ame's house. Just as we walked in front of the quaint little home, a short young woman emerged from the front door. Her long auburn hair was tied back into a ponytail, though it was still almost to the small of her back. She turned to us, placing a house key in her pocket, before noticing us. Her ice blue eyes lit up when she saw us, and smiled widely, dashing towards us and placing us both in a big group hug.

"Eila! Enzo! Hi guys!" She greeted happily.

"H-hey _imouto_!" I greeted with a wheeze. I tried to pry her arms off of us, considering it was pushing up against my windpipe.

"Oops," She giggled, stepping back, allowing me to catch my breath. Ame smiled again, lacing her fingers together behind her back.

Ame Sandoval has been a friend of Eila and me for a few years now. She's a sweet kid, really. A bit naive, and a little lacking in common sense, but a nice girl overall. I don't really know why, but she seems to look up to me sometimes, so I treat her like my sister; that's why I call her _imouto_. It's Japanese for "little sister." Fitting, considering we're both of that heritage.

"What were you up to? We didn't interrupt anything, did we?" Eila asked, placing a hand on her hip.

"Mm-mm." Ame hummed with a shake of her head. "Nope. I was just watching My Little Pony." She informed us, eliciting a chuckle from myself. "What're you laughin' at?! Ash told me she dragged you into watching it. And we all know you liked it!" She huffed, crossing her arms.

"I said nothing." I replied, shaking my head. "Anyway. Let's get some chow." I sighed, turning the other way and continuing down the sidewalk with the other two girls in tow. We walked down two houses, before I led them up the porch steps to my own casa, unlocking the front door with the key on my white and black checkerboard lanyard. I carefully opened the door, and led them inside. Locking the door behind me, I set my keys on the little end table we had, carefully set my guitar case up against the wall, and flipped on a light. We made our way to the kitchen, and I prepped a few plates of pork chops and rice for us. "Drinks?" I asked, making my way to the fridge in the garage.

"Water." The two girls replied simultaneously. I chuckled and nodded, stepping out to grab each of us a bottle. When I returned, the food was nearly done heating up. We headed upstairs to my room to eat, and I flipped the television on, connecting my game console so we could watch videos through one of my apps.

"Have you even gotten to season three, Enzo?" Ame asks halfway through out meal.

"Season three of what?" I ask, taking a swig of my water.

"MLP." She replies. I shake my head once, going back to my food. "You really should. Applejack finally got an episode where she has her own song." She said happily.

"I'll have to check it out." I reply. She smiled and nodded, grabbing at one of the small MLP figurines my sister had gotten for me, Twilight Sparkle to be specific. Our attention turns back to the television, and we pretty much remain like that for the next hour or so, watching funny little videos. Ame and Eila had gotten a little tired, and I felt like I could use a few winks, too.

"I guess it's time to turn in?" Eila yawns, eliciting a nod from Ame.

"Mhm...I don't know about you two, but I don't work tomorrow. We should do something." I suggested. The two of them smiled and nodded. "Alright. I'll hit you up tomorrow. Night, girls."

"G'night, Enzo." They reply, as I let them out my front door. I stood on my porch, watching Eila cross the street, walking into her house directly across mine. Looking to my left, I see that Ame made it safely to her house, as well. Sighing contently, and with a smile on my face, I made my way back to my room, getting into more comfortable sleeping clothes. I sat straight up at the edge of my bed, bringing my knees just a little closer to my chest. My phone vibrated once, and I read the text. It was from one Eila Laatikainen, and it said, "Look to your left." So, I did, looking out my open window. I could see her across the street through her window, holding a phone in a left hand, and waving at me with her right. I chuckled and waved back, replying, 'You're a dork! Haha.' She read it, and I could see her laugh. 'Goodnight.' Was all she replied with. Her lights soon turned off, and I sighed, turning mine off as well. I set some music through my phone, and slowly drifted off to sleep, ready for a new day.


	3. Blurry

_Knock knock knock._

"Enzo! Wake up, mom's makin' breakfast!"

…

_Knock knock knock knock._

"Enzo! Don't make me go in there!"

"Mmf...Go away...!" I mutter, grabbing a spare pillow and tossing it at my door. The door creaks open, and I hear rushed footsteps. Next thing I know, a manic scream, and a sharp pain in my back.

"Gah! God dammit, Ashleigh!" I shriek, rubbing my back in pain. The young girl stood up on my bed, with her hands on her hips.

"It's the same thing every morning, and you never seem to learn!" She huffs, adjusting her red rimmed glasses. I groan in annoyance, and sit up, struggling to put a shirt on. I managed to somehow get it on, and looked up at my younger sister.

Ashleigh Myles, or Ash. Or the annoying, lovable, slightly troubled little sister of mine. "_Yare yare daze..._" I sigh, grabbing for my glasses and putting them on my face. My tired eyes look up at hers, and I have half a mind to wipe that trickster's grin off her face. She chuckles and hops off my bed, tying her short, auburn hair into a stubby ponytail. "I'll be down in a minute, Ash." I sigh, standing up and stretching.

"I'll hold you to that, _Ani_." She says, finishing in Japanese with another chuckle.

"Out, _imouto_. Now." I snap, throwing another pillow at her. She shrieks, and dashes out of my room. I snicker and shake my head, readying myself to go downstairs and eat.

"It's about time you woke up. We were about to eat without you." My dad chuckled, taking a sip of coffee from his mug.

"Yeah, well. I got an annoying little wake up call." I snark, looking at my little sister with crossed arms. She only snickered, sticking her tongue out at me. "Better put that tongue back in, before I tear it off!" I threaten with a laugh, reaching for her. She shrieks, and we playfully start to rough around a bit.

"Hey, hey! Calm down, before you break something! Now sit down while I serve you."

My sister and I immediately stop, looking to the source of the voice. My mother walked back into the kitchen, heading straight to the stove to move the eggs from the pan, and into a large bowl.

"Jenovi, is there any coffee left?" My dad asked my mom.

"One second, Rob," She replies, moving the potatoes into a separate bowl. She looks into the coffee pot and nods, pouring a little bit more into his mug.

"Thank you," He says with a kiss to her forehead, helping her prepare a few plates. Once they were all on the table, and we were all sitting together, Ash and I clapped our hands together.

"_Itadakimasu!_" We say, before digging in. Mom just smiled and shook her head in amusement, getting to work on her egg whites.

"How was last night, Enzo?"

"It was okay," I reply, taking a sip of orange juice. "I made 63 dollars."

"How long were you out there for?" My sister asked me.

"I wanna say...Four hours?" I guess with a shrug.

"Do you even know enough songs to last four hours?" Mom asked, to which I sighed and shook my head.

"No, I usually repeat a few songs, with a couple breaks in-between strumming randomly." I explained.

"Are you doing it again tonight? Or do you have to work?" My dad asks.

"Work, probably. And I'm gonna do...I dunno, something with Eila and Ame. Probably walk around the galleria until I have to go to work, so." I trailed off.

"Which reminds me, I have an early client. I should probably get ready for work." Mom said, finishing off her light meal. "Enzo, do the dishes when you're done." She says, walking out of the room. I glance into the sink and see that the plate she had put in there still had some food left on it. That client of hers better appreciate the brilliant hair stylist that she made skip her breakfast. I groan quietly to myself, quickly finishing my food and getting to work on the dishes.

I finish soon after, and take a shower. When I look at myself in the mirror as the fog clears and I finish brushing my teeth, I begin to feel sick. Almost a terrible feeling in my stomach, and I can't shake it. Though, deep down, I know what it is.

About fourteen years ago, my mother and I were in a terrible car accident. I was just a kid, and it's something I wish I hadn't gone through. Long story short, a car thought it'd be a good idea to speed straight through a red light. My mom's side took the brunt of the hit. Her midsection took almost all the damage. I almost lost her… We almost lost her. I was dying on the inside. Here I am, a little kid and his baby sister, about to lose his mother. My dad was heartbroken, and took us to see her every day. I waited, and waited, and I thought my mom was gone. We prayed and prayed, just like dad told us to, but there was nothing. I eventually gave up on it, too.

But...One day, she came back to us.

My heart began to ache as I recalled the memories. I struggled to maintain my breathing, and grabbed at my bare chest above my heart.

She had persistent stomach problems after that. Her insides are practically just barely held together, because of all of the debris that got lodged in there. Hell, a few years back, she was hospitalized because of internal stomach issues. Something about a cyst removal, and bile leakage...I wasn't necessarily there for all of it, the technical medical junk. But I was by her side almost all that summer.

That year was terrible. I look up into the mirror at my eyes, and almost - _almost_ - cringe.

I have heterochromatic eyes. One striking emerald, the other, a blazing amber. I used to hate my eyes. The looks and the whispers. People staring, making comments. It was terrible. I hated being singled out because of it. People wouldn't describe me as the "guy with the glasses" or the "kid with long brown hair." It was always "the guy with the weird eyes." I feel at the space under my eyes, and they wander to a small contact lense container.

My thoughts were interrupted by the door creaking open, and my hand retracted.

"_Ani?_" Ash says, looking at me with a concerned expression. "Is everything okay?" She then asks. My sister knows me well, maybe better than anyone else. She can see the look in my eyes. The near-scowl I have. My hand that was still half-extended to the lenses.

"...I'm okay, _imouto_. Really." I lie, feeling disgusting by just hiding the truth from her. Naturally, Ash can detect my lie, and points it out right away.

"Enzo," She says softly, reaching her hand up and cupping my cheek in her hands. "You know there's nothing wrong with you. Right?" She asks. I sigh and give a small smile, nodding my head. "You're you, because of who you are and what you have." She reminds me, eliciting another nod.

"I know. But...Old habits die hard, ya know?" I reply with a sigh, reaching for the lense. She tries to stop me, but a look from me stops her in her tracks. I hesitate, but put the lense in an eye without much trouble. When my eyes open, in the mirror, all I see are two emerald green eyes. Not one, with an amber orb to accompany it. But two, normal, piercing green eyes. But...It doesn't feel right. It doesn't feel like it's me. It's like I'm looking at a completely different person.

"Maybe you're right…" I say quietly, taking the lense out and putting it away. She gives a small smile and pats my shoulder, before walking away.

I spent the next few hours in my room, playing my guitar at random and texting Eila and Ame every now and again. In fact, a couple hours before I planned on going to work, my door creaked open.

"Hey, buddy." Eila greets with a small smile, removing her light-blue sunglasses and placing them atop her head. I smile when she walks in, and give her a nod.

"Hey, Eila. Don't work today?" I ask, setting aside my guitar.

"Keep playing," She says. I chuckle and nod, picking the instrument back up again. "To answer your question, I do not. The mall's pretty dead. Makes sense, considering most people that even visit the place are away on vacation." She answers with a shrug.

"Probably means they won't use me then…" I sigh, referring to my job. "I'm supposed to call in, but I figured we'd just mosey around the place and I'd just walk in the store to see if I'm workin'." I explained to her.

"Yeah, from what you've been telling me, I don't think you'll be used, either." She says with another shrug.

"Just means I get to spend more time with you and Ame." I say with a smile. She returns the smile, before a look of sudden realization appears on her face.

"Oh! That reminds me, I-I should probably call her and tell her to get ready." She says quickly, grabbing for her phone and hitting a combination of screens on her phone.

"...You said you'd call her?" I ask with a raised brow.

"Texting's faster." Is all she replies with, not looking up from her screen.

Not an hour later, in walks Ame, and that's our cue to get to walking.

"Is your mom okay?" Ame asks me, looking up at me with her large, icy blue eyes. I sigh, feeling the pit in my stomach expand for a moment.

"Seems like it. She still ain't eating much, though." I reply quietly.

"Hopefully, it's just a little stomach bug. Give her a day or two, and Jenny will be just fine, Enzo." Ame says with a cheerful smile. Her smile and her happy tone cause my stomach to feel a little better, and my own spirits to be lifted.

"Thanks, Ame." I say, looking forward again. I can see the galleria in the distance, so it was probably only another fifteen or so minutes. And Eila was right. I couldn't see too many cars in either the main, large parking lot, or the smaller one that most employees would use.

I work at a retail outlet in the galleria, mall, or whatever you wanna call it. In all honesty, I make most of my money with my street performances than I do at work. Which isn't really a bad thing, but they know what I do, so they probably just use that to give the other coworkers a few more hours. I ain't complaining, either. Just means I don't have to waste time there, and I get more time doin' what I love to do.

"Hm," Ame hums, giving a low whistle. "This place is dead. D-E-A-D." She says with a soft giggle.

"Seems like it," I sigh, opening the door to my store. The familiar scent of shoe leather greets my nostrils, and it's a somewhat welcoming scent. The clothes on the racks and rounders look practically untouched in the front, and in the back, I see a single customer randomly browsing in the shoe racks.

"Enzo! What're you doing here, you had a call in." My manager, Rachel, calls from behind the cashier's counter.

"Eh. I was in the neighborhood, and figured I'd pop by and see if you were usin' me." I reply.

She gives me a deadpan look, before looking around the empty store. "Take a guess, sweety." She laughs, brushing back a strand of her blazing red hair.

"Figured as much," I say with a sigh, shrugging my shoulders.

"Well, we're still using you on Friday and Saturday, so that's something!" She says with an exaggerated grin. I laugh and nod my head.

"Thanks, Rachel. I'll see ya then."

And with that, I walk back out to my friends.

"They're not using you?" Ame asks, tilting her head to accent her curiosity. I shake my head in response. "Oh… Well! That means you get more time to hang out with us!" She says, her mood taking a sudden and steep uphill turn. Eila and I smile at her cheery attitude, and walk towards the large sports store in the middle of the mall.

It was literally the largest sports store in the west, covering sports from golf and hockey, all the way up to football and basketball. There was seriously everything in there. Hunting, fishing, you name it. It's awesome, too, because there's always something to do, and to look at. We're mostly window shoppers, but we also like to mess around with the demos. Plus, if that doesn't get your attention, maybe the huge ferris wheel in the middle will! The ferris wheel that I _always_ get dragged on and terrified of once we _always_ get stuck at the top!

"C'mon, Enzo! Let's go-" Eila starts, but is cut off when I give her a playful bonk to the head.

"No." I reply deadpanned.

"C'mon, Enzo, it'll be fun!" Ame persists, smiling at me.

"You always say that! And it never is!" I argue, resisting the urge to cave. Thankfully, my phone rings and I'm forced to answer it, breathing a sigh of relief.

"_Moshi-moshi?_" I answer, before mentally facepalming myself for not looking at the caller ID, therefore, not giving a proper response like a simple 'hello.'

"Uh. Enzo, it's Rachel," She says, and I can tell she's stifling a giggle. "Someone called out, so I was wondering if you wanted to pick up a few extra hours tonight." She says.

I raise a brow, and look at the clock on my phone. "It's almost an hour into the shift, though." I note.

"Yeah, I know, and we were stuck waiting, but he only barely called in now. It's really slow, and we'll probably just do some cleaning, and we'll get out early." She says.

Well. Closing with Rachel is usually fun. She plays good music from her phone and we always joke around.

"Sure. I'll be in soon as I can." I reply, hanging up.

"_Mitä_?" Eila asks, raising a brow.

"They just called me in. Someone barely called out so I'm gonna go take over." I explain, heading for the exit.

"Oh. Want us to wait for you?" Eila offers, eliciting a soft chuckle and a shake of the head from myself.

"You really don't have to. You'll be waiting a little over two hours, considering we're probably gonna leave early after we close." I sigh.

"_Taishita koto nai,_" Ame says with a smile. "Not a problem. We don't really mind. I wanna get some shopping done, anyway." She continues.

I look over at Eila, who smiles and gives a nod of her own. "Well, I guess I could poke around a few stores." She says with a shrug. I smile at the two of them, and we make our way to the store.

"Alright, see you guys in a couple hours." I say to the two, waving goodbye. I sigh, and make my way to the register and clock on.

* * *

"Thanks for comin' in, Enzo." Rachel says with a sigh. I smile and nod my head at her.

"Thanks for givin' me the hours." I reply. She unlocks the cabinet behind the register for me to put my belongings in, and, just as she closes it when I'm done, I hear my phone vibrate. But, I figure I can just answer the text later, on my break.

About an hour before closing, I get into the cabinet, and check my phone. A single text from my dad, but a couple missed calls from him and Ash, as well. I decide to call him up, as I walk to the back stock room.

"Son?" My dad says, picking up after a single ring.

"Hey, dad. Sorry I didn't answer right off the bat. They ended up using me at work, after all. What's up?" I ask, sitting on a chair.

"I'm at the hospital." Is all he says in a hushed tone.

My heart stops. My breath catches in my throat.

It seems like a lifetime before I'm able to speak again.

"Wh..._Nani? Dōshite?_" I croak, though, deep in my heart, I know why.

"Jenovi...Your mom came home early from work, complaining about excruciating pain in her stomach. The doctors are unsure, but think it's gallstones...And maybe other complications." He replies quietly.

"What about Ash?" I ask, trying to keep my voice from failing.

"She was actually with Ame when your mom got home. She called up about an hour ago to hang out. She's on her way home, though, with Ame." He explains.

I'm dead silent. I can't speak. What can I say? There's nothing to say.

"She might have to stay overnight. They're running tests, and scans, and a bunch of other stuff, too. I don't know if I'll be home tonight, either."

"...I understand." I reply half-heartedly.

"All we can do is pray, son." He says. I refuse the urge to scoff at that.

Pray to whom? An unknown force? Or the God that they so blindly follow? I shake my head, thinking of a list of things I could say to that.

No God would let harm like this befall a family.

"I'll see you later. Gotta go." I say quickly, before hanging up without another word. My hair falls and blurs my vision. Or...Are those…

I feel something wet fall against my hands that were curled into fists on my thighs. I…

I burst into silent sobs. I mentally curse the world,and simultaneously hope to myself that everything is okay. That it's just a stomach bug, and my mom would be hunky-dory by morning.

I tried. I really did. But the truth was right there, in front of my face. It was just like back then, and I'm gonna be left wondering how long it'll take for mom to come back home.

Or...How long until she…

I don't even finish the thought, bursting out into more sobs. I hear Rachel step into the stock room, but her footsteps stop abruptly, and silently creep away, leaving me by myself. I struggle to open my eyes, but I can't do it. My vision is too blurry. Negative thoughts scurry around my brain, and all I can think to myself is,

_"There is no God, is there?"_


End file.
